1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of control panel assemblies that provide manual and visible access to displays and switches that are used to control the operation of electronic systems. More particularly, the control panel assemblies are mounted on doors that facilitate access to internal system components.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical equipment racks are commonly used to stack a plurality of system chassis in vertical ascending order within close proximity to one another. Rack space is always at a premium, and various schema have been created to increase the density of equipment storage. For example, some chassis may be mounted upon telescoping rail assemblies to facilitate forward and rearward motion of the chassis in respect to the rack for purposes of performing maintenance and renewal operations on system components that are attached to the chassis.
Other facilities employ a door on the front of the chassis that swings open to facilitate access to the internal electrical components. If the door is mounted on a hinge that swings from the side, the elongated structure of the door typically requires additional aisle space that decreases the otherwise obtainable density of components on adjacent equipment racks. Accordingly, it is desirable to use a hinged door that swings open from the bottom or the top to minimize the aisle space requirements.
Problems arise in the use of doors that swing open from the bottom or the top because it is common practice to provide a cosmetic bezel that attaches to the door. Where controls, such as optical displays or switches, are required for system operation, there are sometimes pass-through mechanisms that, for example, provide continuity for an optical pathway or buttons that pass through the bezel to depress hidden switches in the door. When the bezel is removed from the door, these optical pathways and switches require additional labeling and operator instructions, but it is sometimes impracticable to place the labeling and operator instructions on the door. Thus, many of these control panel assemblies utilize a control panel that protrudes through an opening in the bezel.
Design requirements for densified arrays of electrical systems in equipment racks often call for reducing the height of individual system components. Thus, the systems are increasingly designed with a profile that is short and wide. A problem arises in circumstances where it is desired to have the control panel pass through the bezel in the context of newer devices having a short and wide profile because the control panel, upon downward or upward rotation of the door, travels downwardly a sufficient distance to abut the next chassis in sequence. Thus, the door is not fully able to open.
There is an existing need for a forward-protruding control panel assembly that overcomes the problem of rotational interference by abutment against an adjacent chassis.
The present invention overcomes the problems that are outlined above and advances the art by providing a control panel assembly comprising a modular control panel box that attaches to a hinged door and is selectively positionable to permit opening and closing of the door without interference from an adjacent chassis.
The control panel assembly comprises an electrical housing that defines an interior component bay and an opening for access to the interior component bay. The interior component bay may, for example, contain a plurality of electrical components, such as fans, power supplies, peripheral cards, cell boards, controllers, communications interface cards, or any other system device that may be accessed through the opening for system maintenance. A door is hingedly mounted to the electrical housing for selective positioning where the door either covers the opening to seal the interior component bay or the door is opened to uncover the opening. The door has a rearward side proximate the interior component bay and a forward side remote from the rearward side. A modular control panel box is coupled with the door through use of selectively positionable mounting structure on the forward side of the door, which affords selective movement of the modular control panel box to positions on the door such that forward movement of the door away from the interior component bay fully uncovers the opening before the modular component box swings rearward of the opening to abut an adjacent chassis. The mounting structure may be is operably configured for selective removal and reattachment of the modular control panel box on the door.
The door may be provided in a configuration, for example, where when moved to cover the housing opening, the door rises from a bottom to a top, and the door is hingedly mounted to the electrical housing at the bottom of the door. The door may comprise an electromagnetic interference (EMI) enclosure that fits tightly against the opening and is drawn tightly thereto, for example, by the use of a twist-draw latch proximate the top of the door to facilitate tight closure of the door against the opening and assure electromagnetic interference compatibility.
The modular control panel box may be provided with a variety of system control features, for example, comprising a panel air vent and a sensor configured to sense temperature of incoming ambient air entering the air vent. The sensor provides signals based upon the sensed temperature from the sensor. The door may then comprise a door air vent in communication with the panel air vent for passage of air from within the modular control panel box through the door air vent and into the interior component bay. The interior component bay contains a fan for drawing air into the interior component bay. The modular control panel box may also comprise a display for providing electronically configurable indicia representing a system operating parameter, such as voltage or temperature.
A demountable front bezel may be provided for covering the front face of the door. The bezel may have an opening for receipt of the modular control panel box. The demountable front bezel permits visible access to the display when the demountable front bezel is installed over the modular control panel box.
The modular control panel box may also comprise a power switch that configured for selective power activation of electronic components within the interior component bay. The power switch is optionally located in a position that is available for manual access when the demountable front bezel is installed over the modular control panel box.
The selectively positionable mounting structure of the control panel assembly may comprise the door and the modular control panel box, in combination, having a channel-track assembly for use in moving the modular control panel box between a high position and a low position on the front side of the door. The channel track assembly further permits selective removal and reattachment of the modular control panel box by moving the modular control panel box a sufficient distance to disengage the modular control panel box from the channel track assembly. The channel track assembly may, for example, comprise a tongue and groove joint. A clip latch assembly for use in detachably locking the modular control panel box in at least one of the high position and the low position.
A ribbon cable may connect the modular control panel box with the door for use in transmitting control signals from electronic circuitry that resides in the modular control panel box. Another cable may similarly connect the modular control panel box or associated components with the electrical housing to drain electrostatic discharges (ESD).
The control panel assembly may be used according to a method comprising the steps of:
(a) shifting the modular control panel box along the channel-track assembly to a position that does not interfere with opening of the door; and
(b) opening the door to facilitate access to the interior component bay. The method of use may also comprise steps of:
(c) removing the modular control panel box from the channel-track assembly to demount the modular control panel box from the door; and
(d) accessing the interior component bay to install a card within the internal component bay.